How can I test the quality of my network cable?

How can I test the quality of my network cable?

In the process of setting up a local area network, people often spend a lot of money to buy high-end network cards, switches, and routers, while ignoring the "inconspicuous" network cable quality.

In fact, the quality of the network cable has the most direct impact on the transmission performance of the local area network. Therefore, testing the network cable is a very important part in the process of purchasing network cables. Products, and only by testing more, you can get the real feeling of the network cable. For this reason, the author will discuss with you in detail how to test the network cable in an all-round way.

1. Test the speed of the network cable

Testing the transmission speed of the network cable is the most effective way to identify the authenticity of the network cable quality; in order to be closer to the actual use environment and reduce external interference during the test, the author recommends using a dual-machine direct connection. At the same time, in order to ensure the accuracy of the test, try to use a high-quality brand network card to ensure that no hardware bottleneck occurs during the test; at the same time, it is also necessary to ensure that the computer system is clean, tidy, and runs fast, otherwise the running speed of the computer itself will affect the network cable transmission. speed. In addition, when connecting network cables, try to use high-quality crystal heads, and ensure that the cable heads are standardized. Only in this way can the influence of external factors on the transmission speed of the network cable be minimized.

2. Check the flexibility of the network cable

Good quality network cables are designed with the convenience of wiring in mind, try to be very flexible, no matter how they are bent, they are very convenient, and they are not easy to be broken. At present, in order to obtain high sales profits, many profiteers in the market have added other cheap metal components to the network cables of pure copper quality, so that the cost of the network cables will be reduced, but the quality and performance of the network cables themselves are very different. Similarly, the phenomenon shown is that the texture of the network cable is no longer so soft, and the transmission speed of the network cable is greatly reduced. If such a network cable is repeatedly bent during the wiring process, the copper cable inside the network cable may be broken. Of course, if you find that the network cable is too soft, you should also pay attention that it may be a fake and shoddy product.

3. Test the flammability of the network cable

Generally speaking, the materials that make up the network cable must be required to be resistant to combustion. Otherwise, if there is a fire or something, it will cause heavy losses. Therefore, when you choose a network cable, you must check the flammability of the cable sheath to distinguish the authenticity. In the specific test, you can first use scissors to cut the outer sheath of the network cable with a length of about 2 cm, and then use a lighter to burn the sheath. Burn it; if it is found that the outer skin of the network cable can't stand the test of the fire, and it burns at one point, no matter how high the transmission speed of the network cable is, you should give up the choice. After all, such a network cable is very unsafe in the wiring project. A big safety hazard. The author once found a piece of genuine network cable and a fake network cable, and ignited them with a lighter at the same time, and found that after 6 seconds, the genuine network cable just emits white smoke and gradually melts and deforms with the passage of time, while the fake network cable takes less than 2 seconds. It was easily ignited, and a large amount of black smoke was produced.

4. Test the temperature resistance of the network cable

In wiring engineering, there are very high requirements for the network cable to resist changes in external temperature. Not to mention that it can resist any environmental changes, at least the network cable cannot be softened or cracked under high or low temperature environments. In order to ensure that the performance of the network cable in the high temperature environment is not affected, the outer skin material used in the genuine network cable can withstand the high temperature test of up to 50 degrees, and there will be no phenomenon like the network cable being softened or deformed. If you cut a small section of the cable sheath and put it next to the stove for a period of time, if you find that the sheath is softer than the normal sheath, it means that the quality of the cable is definitely not too hard.

In the actual selection of network cables, sometimes there is a lack of testing environment or conditions, and when the quality or material of the network cable cannot be tested by the above method, you may wish to identify the authenticity of the network cable by observing the logo on the outer skin of the network cable. Under normal circumstances, the network cable of the regular brand has the type logo of the network cable and the trademark of the manufacturer. For example, the CAT5 logo means that the network cable is a Category 5 cable, and the CAT6 logo means that the network cable is a Category 6 cable; If not, everyone should be vigilant and try to create conditions to test and identify the network cable according to the above method.

5. Test the winding distance of the network cable

We all know that the ordinary twisted pair is connected by four sets of intertwined network cables. The so-called winding distance of the network cable is actually the length of the new section of the network cable. Usually people use the winding distance to indicate the tightness of each pair of wire pairs, and in order to minimize the degree of crosstalk between each pair of wire pairs. , the pairs are often tightly wound together in a counterclockwise direction, and the pitch used for each pair should not be the same. However, in order to reduce production links and process costs, many profiteers who produce network cables often wind four pairs of wire pairs with the same pitch, and even the winding pitch of many inferior network cables is as high as several centimeters, so that the crosstalk between wire pairs is large. increase, which seriously affects the performance of the network cable.

6. Test the extensibility of the outer skin

Considering that the network cable often needs to be bent when wiring, many regular manufacturers leave a certain degree of stretch to the outer skin when making the network cable to ensure that the network cable is not damaged when it is bent. Therefore, when everyone pulls the regular network cable with both hands, it is found that the outer skin has stretchability. If the outer skin of the network cable is pulled off by force, or if the outer skin is cracked under the action of external force, it means that there is a problem with the quality of the network cable.

Next, I will introduce the network tester to you in detail.At Shopify wholesale, the website is:BUY NOW